Lever for flush-tanks.



H. R. KUEHNEIL, LEVER FOB FLUSH TANKS; APPLICATION IILED JAN. 31. 1911.

1,01 7,423, Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

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H. R. KUEHNER.

LEVER FOR FLUSH TANKS. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 31. 1911.

' Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

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LEVER FOR FLUSH TANKS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1911.

1,017,423. Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

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HERMANN R. KUEHNER, 0F CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

LEVER FOB FLUSH-TANKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 31, 1911.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

Serial No. 605,821.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERMANN R. K EH- NER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Levers for Flush-Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in levers forflush tanks and has for its object to so construct a device of this character that when the handle or operating lever is manipulated in either vertical direction, that is up or down, a co-acting or supplemental lever will be always operated in the same vertical direction, said co-acting member being attached to a swinging lever which operates the flush tank valve.

A further object of the invention is to produce a lever which may be fastened in place beneath the flush tank by a supply pipe and its fixtures, thus placing the handle or operating lever in a position which will be beside the person when said person is using the toilet, thus placing said lever in easy access of the hands of the user.

WVith these ends in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail, referring by letter to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a perspective view of a flush tank showing my improved lever applied thereto, portions being broken away to more plainly show the construction. Fig. 2, an enlarged segmental, side elevation of the members, showing their relation to one another. Fig. 3, a side elevation of the bracket in which the members are pivoted. Fig. 4, a bot-tom plan view thereof. Fig. 5, a side elevation of a slightly modified form of my invention showing a portion of the bracket broken away. Fig. 6, a bottom plan view thereof, and Fig. 7, a side elevation of these same members inverted. Fig. 8, is a front elevation of a flush tank showing a still further form of my invention applied thereto. Fig. 9, a longitudinal sectional view thereof,

portions being left in elevation, and Fig. 10, an inside face view of the levers.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied, A represents a flush tank shown as being one of those generally called a low down tank, that is it is situated in close proximity to the bowl or just above the seat of the toilet. From this leads an outlet pipe B closed by a suitable valve C, the upper portion only being here shown since it does not appertain to my invention and is only utilized to show the relation of the parts. The valve is fastened by a chain or wire D to the inner end E of the swinging lever F, said swinging lever being mounted in the rear wall of the tank above the water level. The outer end G extending in the same gen eral direction as the inner end, so that when said outer end is compressed the inner end will be raised.

In order to prevent undue movement of the swinging lever, I provide a coiled spring H which is wound about a shaft I of said lever, one end rest-ing against the inner end E, the opposite end against the washers J, said washers being in contact with the inner face of the rear wall of the tank.

K denotes a supply pipe leading from the water system to the tank, and this pipe registers with the aperture L formed in the arm M of the bracket N, said bracket haV-.

ing two downwardly extending parallel ears 0 between which are pivoted the operating lever P and the co-acting lever Q.

The operating lever comprises a shank R and a head S from which extends an upper lip T having a notch U therein, and a lower lip V having a space W between them. Said operating lever is pivoted at X. The coacting leverQ is pivoted at Y adjacent the operating lever, producing a finger Z which operates in the space W and co-acts with the lower lip V. On the other side of the pivot point is produced a lug A which registers with the notch U, so that the upper lip T may operate the co-acting lever Q. The co-acting lever Q is produced in approximately right-angular form so that its outer end when drawn downward will first move away from the tank so as to lengthen the distance between the tank and the co-acting member during the downward movementof the co-acting lever, in this way preventing the co-acting member from binding upon the tank. In the outer-end of the lever Q is formed an opening B, through which passes one end of the co-acting member C, which may be a wire, a chain or their equivalent, the opposite end thereof being fastened to the outer end G'of the swinging lever F. On the end of the operating lever P may be mounted any suitable handle D, for forming a suitable hand hold.

From the above description it will be seen that when the long end or shank of the operating lever P is depressed, the lips of said lever will rise because of the position of the pivot point X. This movement will cause the lower lip V to raise the finger Z of the co-acting lever Q, in this way drawing its outer or long end downward. Should the long end or shank of the operating lever P be raised, the lips will be depressed, causing the upper lip T to engage the lug A, which will. also depress the outer or long end of the co-acting lever Q since the lug A is upon the opposite side of the pivot point Y. As the long end of the cooperating lever Q moves downward it will draw the outer end of the swinging lever F in the same direction, thus raising the inner end E of said lever for removing the valve G from its seat to flush the toilet.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a modified form of my invention in which I employ an operating lever P, having a shank It, and a short arm S. This lever is pivoted at X and is provided adjacent the pivot point and at the outer end of the short arm S, with contact members V and T respec tively. The contact member V lying in a plane below the contact member T and operating upon the under side of the finger Z formed with the co-acting lever Q which is pivoted at Y, while the contact member T operates upon the upper surface of the co-acting lever and at the other side of the pivot point Y.

In my modified form as shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 I employ an operating lever P which is quite similar to the operating lever shown in Fig. 2 and comprises a head S having a shank R formed integral therewith and at right angles thereto, said shank being journaled in a suitable casing 1, provided with a smooth surface at and a threaded portion a, said casing being mounted in the tank A. On the outer end of the shank It is placed a depending handle D for manipulating the operating lever P. lVith the head S of the lever P is formed an upper finger T and a lower finger V. The distance between the fulcrum of the lever P and the finger T being shorter than the distance between the fulcrum and the finger V.

On the casing 1 is mounted abracket N which is held in place by a nut 0 which is threaded upon the casing, jamming the bracket bet-ween said nut and the inner surface of the front wall of the tank A. This bracket has a small shaft 79 formed therewith andprojecting at right angles thereto on which is pivoted the lever E, said lever being held in place upon the shaft by a pin or its equivalent 2'. When this lever is in place the finger T contacts with the upper surface thereof, at one side of the pivot point or shaft 79, while the other finger V contacts with the under surface at the opposite side of the pivot point or shaft 29.

lVhen the handle D is operated to one side it will rotate the shank R within the casing 1, moving the lever P vertically. One of the lateral movements will cause the finger T to depress the short end of the lever E raising the longer or outer end and when the handle D is moved in the opposite direction the finger V will raise the longer portion of the lever E so that the outer end of said lever E is raised when the handle D is moved in either lateral direction.

From the above description it will be seen that when the operating lever P is moved in the vertical direction, either up or down from its normal position, the co-acting lever Q will be moved downward.

In Fig. 7, I have shown the levers described in Figs. 5 and 6 as being inverted, and when mounted in this manner a stiff connecting member is used which directly connects the outer end of the co-acting le ver Q with the valve O, since this co-acting lever will then be operating upward and will raise the valve from its seat without any intermediate elements. It will be understood that the lever described in Figs. 1 to 4- may also be inverted in the same manner.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as here shown, as these may be varied within the limits of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, is-

1. In combination with a flush tank, a supply pipe, a bracket comprising an arm having an aperture therein with which registers the supply pipe, downwardly extending parallel ears formed with the arm, an operating lever comprising a shank and head, said lever being pivoted between the ears of the bracket, a lower lip formed on the head, an upper lip having a notch in its outer end also formed on the head, a coacting lever pivoted between the ears of the bracket, a finger formed on said lever contacting with the upper surface of the lower lip, and a lug formed with the upper sur face of the eo-acting lever adapted to reg ister with the notch of the upper lip.

2. In combination with a flush tank, a supply pipe, a bracket comprising an arm having an aperture therein with which registers the supply pipe, downwardly extending parallel ears formed with the arm, an operating lever comprising a shank and head, said lever being pivoted between the ears of the bracket, a lower lip formed with the head, an upper lip having a notch in its outer end also formed with the head, a coacting lever pivoted between the ears of the bracket, a finger formed with said lever, contacting with the upper surface of the lower lip, a lug formed with the upper surface of the co-acting lever adapted to register with the notch of the upper lip, a swinging lever comprising a shaft, an inner and an outer arm, the shaft thereof passing through the rear wall of the tank, a washer contacting with the inner surface of said rear wall, a coiled spring mounted upon the shaft, one end resting against the inner arm, the opposite end against the washer, and a connector, one' end of which is fastened to the outer end of the swinging lever, the opposite end being fastened to the outer end of the co-acting lever.

3. In an exposed flush tank lever, the combination with a flush tank of a bracket,

a co-acting lever provided with means for attachment to the valve mechanism and having a short arm formed therewith, said lever being pivoted in the bracket and having contact points at both sides of the pivot point and in different planes, said co-acting lever being so constructed that it may be inverted, an operating lever pivoted to the bracket having two contact points upon the same side of the pivot point of said operating lever, one of said contact points co-acting with one of the contact points on the.

HERMANN R. KUEHNER.

Witnesses:

ELLEN M. SIMPSON, MARY E. AcKLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

